Drive shaft bushing assembly



July 9, 1946 T. c. GERNER DRIVE SHAFT BUSHING ASSEMBLY Filed July 23, 1945 www@ I rwentar Heoame C. @er/2er:

Patented July e, 1946 PATENT OFFIC DRIVE SHAFT RUSHING ASSEMBLY n Theodore C. Gerner.' Uklahoma City, Okla.

.Application July 23, 1945, Serial No. 606.563

1r claims.

Y i This invention relates to av drive shaft bushing assembly and more particularly to a. replacement part adapted for installation in the propeller or drive shaft housing of a motor vehicle adjacent the bell housing which surrounds the universal joint immediately to the rear of the transmission. i

The primary object of the invention is to preserve the lubricant in which the transmission gears arenormally bathed, and prevent it from escaping through the drive or propeller shaft housing and diluting the grease usually'employed in the dierential.

Another object is to support the forward end of a propeller shaft out of contact with a bearing which may have become worn and deteriorated through use.

Among its features my invention embodies a sleeve adapted to fit into the forward end of the.

propeller shaft housing of an ordinary motor vehicle, bearings carried adjacent opposite ends of the sleeve on the interior thereof for sustaining the propeller shaft in axial alignment with the sleeve and with the housing thereof, and a seal carried within the inner end of thel sleeve and adapted effectively to prevent the flow of lubricants from the transmission and forward end of the propeller shaft housing back through the rear' end of said housing and into the differential housing.

In the drawing:

Figure. l is a side view illustrating'diagrammatically an engine, a transmission housing, a v bell housing and the forward end of the propel-` ler shaft housing, and showing in dotted lines the position in which my improved sleeve and bearing assembly are located therein.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view partially in section of the forward end of the propeller shaft housing, propeller shaft and the U-joint equipped with my improved joint bushings and seal assembly.

Referring to the drawing in detail an engine designated IIJ ls yconnected through the usual transmission II to the bell housing I2 carried at the forward end of the propeller shaft housing I3 all in the' conventional manner. The housing I3 surrounds the propeller shaft It which carries at its forward' end the conventional forked member IS of a conventional U-joint housed within the housing I2. As illustrated in Figure 2 the extreme forward end of the propeller shaft Ill is splined as at It to receive the splined socket I'I carried by the member It preyicusly described se as to establish driving con- (Cl. 30S-36.1)

nections between the parts and yet allow the parts to be separated endwise when necessary. Carried within the housing I 3 adjacent its rear end is the usual bearing I8 in which the shaft 5 I4 is supported and at the rear end of the bearing I8 is the conventional oil seal I9 which nor.

mally prevents lubricant contained within the transmission housing II in which the transmis sion gears are bathed from escaping through the interior of the propeller shaft housing I and vdiluting the lubricant normally contained within the dierential housing which is convention ally locatedv at the rear end of the propeller shaft. c'

'I'he equipment thus far described is that which is commonly employed and in service the bearing I@ and the area of the shaft contacting therewith become worn with the result that re placement of both the bearing and the shaft have heretofore been necessary at more or less frequent intervals. The wearing of these parts also had a tendency to destroy the edectiveness of the oil seal I9 with the result that drainage of the lubricant from the housing Ii through the propeller shaft housing I3 and into the dif ferential housingat the vrear end-thereof has been experienced.

My invention obviates these diiculties and comprises a main supporting sleeve 2@ which is adapted to be driven into the interior of the pro peller shaft housing, I3 as illustrated in Figure 2. The sleeve 20 is provided adjacent its outer end with a portion 2l of slightly larger diameter than the main body of the sleeve so as to establish a drive fit between the inner surface of e the propeller housing I3 and the outer surface of the sleeve. Adjacent the forward end of the housing carried on the interior of the sleeve 2d adjacent its inner'end is a bearing 22 having an 40 internal diameter such as to provide an accurate bearing surface for the shaft It near that part of the shaft engaged by the bearing I8. An

oil seal 23 is fitted into .the sleeve 20 between the bearing 22 and the extreme inner end of the sleeve so that when the sleeve 20 is driven into place within the propeller shaft housing the oil seal 23 will be positioned between the bearing I8 and the bearing 22. Fitted in the outer end of the sleeve 2d is a bearing bushing 2li which is of an internal diameter to receive the exterior` of the socket I l' of the member I5 so as to irl-- sure the accurate running of the socket Il about the longitudinal axis of the shaft It. The bearing sleeve 2li serves to stabilize the end of the '55 propeller shaft to which the socket l "I is attached and avoid any danger` of whip at the point of junction of the propeller shaft and the sleeve.

In shaft ho already installed it is unnecessary to remove the propeller shaft as the universal joint is simply uncoupled so as to allow the member II and the forward end of the propeller shaft and its housing to be lowered whereupon tbe socket I'l may be removed longitudinally of the shaft and through the open end of the housing I3. Without removing the propeller shaft or the housing from its connection with the differential housing at the rear end of the vehicle my improved assembly constituting the sleeve 20, the bearings 22 and 24 and the oil seal 23 may be slipped over the end of the shaft into the interior of the housing Il as illustrated in Figure 2. As the sleeve 2li approaches its innermost position the enlarged portion 2i will encounter the interior of the housing il so that the sleeve must be driven into place and a drive fit will be established which will retain the, shaft in assembled position. Upon driving the sleeve home it will be obvious that the bearing 22 will support the drive shaft I4 on a fresh unworn surface thus insuring smooth operation of the parts. 'I'he bearing member 24 will embrace'the sleeve l1 which is next slipped into place over the splined end IB of the shaft It with the result that no tendency of the shaft to whip will be experienced.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in 'the details of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a. journal for said shaft adjacent an endofsaid housing, a repair unit insertable in said vend of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a first end disposed adjacent said journal, and a bearing in said sleeve adjacent said rst end for journalling said shaft.

2. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing. a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in said'end of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in saidV housing and with a first end disposed adjacent said journal, a

bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end for journalling said shaft, and an o il seal received in the i'lrst end of said sleeve and positioned between said joumal and said bearing.

3. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open ended -"sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a first end disposed adjacent said journal, a bearing in'said sleeve adjacent said first end for journalling said shaft, and a cylindrical member splined upon the end of said shaft and a second bearing in a second end of said sleeve and journailing said cylindrical member.

4. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in` said housing, a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a. repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open endbling the device within a propeller I 4 A v ed sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with s first end disposed adjacent said journal, a

1 bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end forl ing, a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing. a repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a first end disposed adjacent said journal, a .bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end for journalling said shaft, and an oil seal received in the first end of said sleeve and positioned between said journal and said bearing, said oil seal being conterminous with the open end of said sleeve.

6. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in said end of lsaid housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting` in said housing and with a first end disposed adjacent said journal, a bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end for journalling said shaft, and an oil seal received in the first end of saidslee've and positioned between said journal and said bearing, said oil seal being conterminous with-the open end of said sleeve and abutting said bearing.

7. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in'said end of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a first end disposed adjacent said journal, and a bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end for journalling said shaft, said first end of said sleeve abutting said journal.-

8. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing,v a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a first end disposed adjacent said journal, a bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end for journalling said shaft, and an oil seal received in the first end of said sleeve and positioned between said journal and said bearing, said first end lof said sleeve abutting said journal.

9. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end for journailingsaid shaft, and a cylindrical member splined upon the end of said shaft and a second bearing in a second end of said sleeve and journalling said cylindrical member, said f'lrst end of said sleeve abutting said journal.

10. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a nrst end dispose adjacent said journal, a bearing in said slegve adjacent said Afirst end for journallig said shaft, a cylindrical member splined upon the end of said shaft and a second bearing in a second end of said sleeve and journalling said cylindrical member, and anoil seal received in the iirst end of said sleevel and positioned between said journal and said bearing, said first end of said sleeve abutting said journal.

11. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a-journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a rst end disposed adjacent said journal, a bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end for. journalling said shaft, and a cylindrical member splined upon the end of said shaft and a second bearing in asecond end of said sleeve and journalling said cylindrical member, said second bearing being conterminous with said second end of said sleeve.

12. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a journal 'for said shaft adjacent an end of said. housing. a repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a rst end disposed adjacent said journal, a bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end for journalling said shaft, and a cylindrical member splined upon the end of said shaft and a second bearing in a second end of said sleeve and journalling said cylindrical member, said second bearing being conterminous with said second end of said sleeve, and an oilseal received in the ilrst end of said sleeve and positioned between said journal and'said bearing. Y

13. Infan automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open e'nded sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a first end disposed adjacent said journal, a bearing in said sleeve adjacent said first end for journalling said shaft, and a cylindrical member splined upon the end of said shaft and a. second bearing in a second end of said sleeve and journallirig said cylindrical member, said housing being of enlarged internal diameter at said end thereof and said sleeve being of correspondingly enlarged external diameter adjacent its second end to tightly seat in said enlarged end of said housing.

14. In an automotive vehicle, a propeller shaft housing, a propeller shaft rotatable in said housing, a journal for said shaft adjacent an end of said housing, a repair unit insertable in said end of said housing, said unit including an open ended sleeve tightly fitting in said housing and with a first end disposed adjacent said journal, a bear ing in said sleeve adjacentsaid rst end for journalling said shaft, and a` cylindrical member splined upon the end of said shaft and a second bearing in a second end of said sleeve and journalling said cylindrical member, said housing being of enlarged internal diameter at said end thereof and said sleeve being of correspondingly enlarged external diameter adjacent its second end to -tightly seat in said enlarged end of said housing, and an oil seal received in the first end of said sleeve and positioned between said journal and said bearing.

TrmODORE C. GERM-m.. 

